The invention relates to a handling device of a printing press.
A handling device of a printing press embodied as a printing plate manipulator, which is used for handling printing plates during an automated printing plate change on a printing unit of a printing press, is known from German Patent Document No. DE 10 2004 052 021 A1. The printing plate manipulator disclosed there is comprised of a manipulator arm, wherein a manipulator head is mounted in an articulated manner on one end of the manipulator arm. The manipulator head features a holding element for printing plates. The manipulator arm of the printing plate manipulator is displaceably mounted in a guide of a frame of a printing unit on the end of the manipulator arm that is opposite from the end on which the manipulator head is mounted in an articulated manner, making it possible for the entire manipulator arm to be moved back and forth in the vertical direction. This end of the manipulator arm is furthermore assigned an articulation so that the same can also swivel.
The applicant's German Patent Document No. DE 10 2006 054 957 discloses a multi-part manipulator arm comprised of several segments, wherein a swivel axis is embodied on each end of each segments, around which at least the respective segment can be swiveled, and wherein each swivel axis is assigned a separate drive for providing the respective swivel movement. This new handling device can be mounted or swiveled more flexibly in a manner requiring less space than handling devices known from the prior art.
Starting herefrom, the present invention is based on the objective of creating a novel handling device of a printing press, which can operate different printing couples from multiple printing units.
According to the invention, the manipulator arm is embodied in a multi-part manner of several segments, wherein a swivel axis is embodied on each end of each segment, around which at least the respective segment can be swiveled, and wherein each swivel axis is assigned a separate drive for providing the respective swivel movement. In addition to the swivel axes, the manipulator arm is mounted on one end so it is translatorily and rotationally movable.
In this case, the manipulator arm can be mounted either on a traverse, for example between two printing towers, or on a frame or on a wall of the printing press. The rotational axis of the end of the manipulator arm can run perpendicular to the erection plane of the printing press.
Alternatively or as a supplement thereto, the direction of the translatory motion can run perpendicular or parallel to the rotational axis of the printing cylinders of the printing press. In order to realize the translatory motion running parallel to the rotational axis of the printing cylinders, in one design the traverse can be moved parallel to the rotational axis of the printing cylinders so that it can be extended laterally together with the manipulator arm out of the printing couples in order to fetch the printing plate(s) that are to be newly loaded in the case of a central plate supply.
The manipulator arm preferably has a first segment for connecting the same to a frame or to a wall of the printing press, a second segment for connecting the manipulator head to the manipulator arm and at least a third segment, via which the first segment and the second segment are connected to one another. The end of the first segment, which is used to connect the manipulator arm to the frame or to the wall, is designed to be stationary in particular.
A swivel axis is respectively embodied on the end of the first segment via which the manipulator arm is attached to the frame or the wall of the printing press, as well as on the end of the second segment via which the manipulator head is attached to the manipulator arm, as well as on the ends of the segments, on which the first segment and the second segment are connected to a third segment and, as the case may be, the third segments are connected among one other, wherein each of these swivel axes is assigned a drive respectively.
Additional preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed by the following description. Without being limited hereto, exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in greater detail on the basis of the drawings.